Richard Ojeda

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ {NAME}, Hey, everybody. It’s Memorial Day, and I know a lot of folks are taking trips to the beach or having barbecues and what not, and that’s all fine – I hope y’all enjoy yourselves, you deserve it. But for those of us who served or had loved ones who did, this is a somber time, when we remember and honor the people we’ve lost in the line of duty. And this year, with it coming so close on the heels of the terrible tragedy in Texas, it’s got me thinking about some other stuff, too. Because you know, when I signed up with the Army, or when anybody signs up with any branch of the military, we know we’re putting our lives on the line. That’s what we’re signing up for. And we get training and equipment and resources and a big ol’ national defense budget to make sure that when violence breaks out between us and the bad guys, we’re the ones who live and they’re the ones who die. But those teachers and kids down in Texas, they didn’t sign up for any of that. Little kids just want to learn and grow, and their teachers just want to help them do that. So, when I hear these Republican jackaloons saying, “Arm the teachers, that’ll fix it!” I just want to scream “Are you crazy?!” Look, I think about the buddies I lost in the line of duty, and those were brave, highly trained soldiers, who studied tactics and strategy and did hours and hours of drills and grueling training to prepare for combat. They were carrying automatic weapons and wearing Kevlar jackets and they still didn’t make it. War is hell. And these jackaloons want to turn our kids’ schools into war bunkers? The killer in that school was carrying weapons of war. He had the police outgunned, that’s why they stood outside for an hour, because they knew they couldn’t compete with that. And Republicans want to hand schoolteachers pistols and call the problem solved? To hell with that! Look, if you want to carry a weapon of war, join the military. At least that way you’ll get a mandatory psych evaluation and some training. That’s just how I feel about it. I’ve got no problem with law-abiding adults keeping a pistol or shotgun or what have you in the home for self-defense, provided they keep it safely locked up and away from children and get some training on how to use it responsibly. But no civilian needs to be walking around with an AR-15 or an AK-47 that can take down two classrooms full of kids or a grocery store full of shoppers in just a couple of minutes. And this nonsense about “hardening the schools” is ridiculous. These idiots would rather spend $300 million on bulletproof doors and windows and tell parents to wrap their kids up in Kevlar than actually do anything to stop gun violence. How about $300 million for affordable mental health services? How about $300 million toward a mandatory buyback program for assault rifles? Australia did that as soon as they had their first mass shooting, and guess what? They’ve never had another one. Their murder and suicide rates plummeted, too. I know you and I both want to see REAL action on gun safety reform, but we also know that won’t happen unless we expand our Senate majority and get rid of the filibuster – the GQP is wholly owned by the NRA and will block any and all efforts to make guns more difficult to buy and sell. That’s why I’m 100% committed to getting every single one of our endorsed candidates for Senate elected this November – because we need to flip every one of those seats blue to make sure we can get meaningful gun safety reform legislation passed while we have a president we know will sign it. So please, if you can spare any amount today for the No Dem Left Behind Senate Fund, I hope you’ll chip in now: Every dollar you give will be put toward getting these fine folks elected: [CLICK HERE TO WATCH]( As you can see, they’re 100% committed to doing what it takes to protect our nation’s kids. So, I hope you’ll give as generously as you can. I hope you have a safe, happy, and healthy Memorial Day with the people you love. Sappers clear the way, Airborne all the way! --Richard No Dem Left Behind is a federal PAC focused on building a base of support for progressive values in rural America. We are committed to helping solve the issues that people in rural America face by creating a foundation of trust and helping great local leaders emerge to run for elected office. We provide a national platform for our endorsed Democratic candidates to increase their exposure and help them mount winning campaigns. [Pitch in today to join our Democratic movement and help us flip more seats blue >>]( No Dem Left Behind PAC PO Box 15320 Washington, DC 20003 United States Paid for by No Dem Left Behind PAC. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. [To unsubscribe from this email list, please click here.](